Don’t Fall For The B.S. About A Medical Marijuana ‘Crisis’ In Washington State

There’s been a lot of hot air — and precious little illumination — coming from some mighty prominent places when it comes to the failure of the Washington Legislature this session to force medical marijuana “into compliance” with the recreational cannabis system created by the passage of legalization measure Initiative 502.

For instance, I keep hearing nonsense (often from people who should certainly know better) about the “unwillingness of the medical marijuana community to compromise.” We have some people trying to rewrite history, here.

Our current medical marijuana law in Washington state is the result of many, many compromises the patient community already made in the Legislature, after the people passed the original initiative in 1998.

The current plant levels and possession limits were revised downward from what patients originally requested, and many other elements of the law represent compromises made by patients and among legislators on the way to the current set-up.

For instance, when plant and possession limits were finally being codified (more specifically, that is, than a “60-day supply”) in 2008, the patient community originally requested 71/99 — 71 ounces and 99 plants. That amount, recommended by Dr. Sunil Aggarwal, was revised downward to 24 ounces and 15 plants, amidst much protest, but the patient community reluctantly accepted the compromise.

Former Washington Governor Christine Gregoirein 2011 vetoed almost all the meaningful parts of a bill which would have regulated medical marijuana in the state. She claimed the feds would arrest state officials if she signed it.

It is simply disingenuous to pretend, at this point, that medical marijuana is somehow “unworkable” and “in crisis” just because our fumbling lawmakers were unable to shoehorn it into a recreational system into which it never belonged in the first place.

When the people of Washington approved Initiative 502, they did not approve the dismantling of the medical marijuana law that they passed in 1998. They were, in fact, repeatedly told that I-502 wouldn’t affect the medical marijuana law at all.

But lawmakers took about five minutes to extend the power of the Washington State Liquor Control Board — given authority over recreational marijuana in Washington by I-502 — to include medical marijuana, as well, despite empty promises to the contrary.

Clueless, ham-fisted lawmakers — with only a dim inkling of the medical uses of cannabis, and of the patients who need it — were suddenly writing rules about medical marijuana. Some of them, perhaps remembering the resistance from the MMJ community to I-502, seemed almost gleefully vengeful in “taking away” from the patients.

And it makes me really sad to see people who claim to “advocate for patients” (hi Ezra!) go along with this horseshit about the “crisis.” That is, other than our supposedly “liberal” Governor practically begging both U.S. Attorneys for dispensary raids (which would be a big political risk; they might be very unpopular).

The only “crisis” medical marijuana has in Washington state is being attacked by clueless public policymakers. These clowns came within a gnat’s whisker this session of dismantling a proven system which has safely distributed medicine to patients for more than a decade, for an unproven, overtaxed system which so far has never sold a single joint. (Never mind the fact the state recreational marijuana rules allow more than 200 pesticides to be used on the stuff — not exactly great news for patients with compromised livers and immune systems.)

Hell, we’ve been violating federal law for 16 years up in here, Boss. Ain’t no sky hit me yet.

Real Legalization of cannabis is the answer! Reallegalization.org 2014 WA I-648 cannabis petition is the method. Get the details at Reallegalization.org. Please spread the word!

Jerry Cook
on March 19, 2014 at 6:43 pm

It seems unbelievable a successful working MM dispensary program would be attacked for use or any use otherwise, or to put the opposition booze board in charge of it in the first place.

It should be embraced for itself with success, and any use of this amazing plant, not attacked, using common sense. Why not add general use to the current MM system under its successful guidance instead of attempting to destroy it for that??

Of course there are corrupt greed cash interests that refuse good sense. I can only hope truth revealed about all of it swings things to good sense and a program that works for people, not just a few greedy.

What happens when the Fed CSA stupidity/hypocrisy is ended as well..

Thanks to you Steve, and everyone else after whats best for all except the blind greedy, in truth. Its all that makes a difference to idiocy otherwise.

SteveSarich
on March 19, 2014 at 3:44 pm

From Kari Boiter:

“Kari Boiter, the Washington coordinator for the national medical marijuana advocacy group Americans for Safe Access expressed her disappointment saying: “We were hoping to be working on implementation at this point as opposed to working from square one again.”

“Boiter is worried that this could signal an unwelcome intervention by the federal government on a system that she says the federal government already believes to be indefensible.”

Kari Boiter, and her benefactors at “Americans for Safe Access”, are clearly disappointed, that despite their support, the medical cannabis activists were able to defeat this terrible legislation. Both Kari and the ASA, like Ezra, worked hard to pass SB5887 which would have ended medical as we know it in Washington and would have made felons out of countless patients.

They actually had the nerve to try to convince patients that this was for their “own good” and that 5887 would actually “save medical”! Then they lied to legislators and told them that THEY represented the patient community. Of course with all the Red Shirts in Olympia, none of the legislators were actually fooled by their lies.

So now Boiter and Eickmeyer are both using these same scare tactics, predicting gloom and doom, and a federal armageddon, because their plan to end medical didn’t work out the way they planned. BOTH of these people need to quit pretending that they represent ANY of the patients of Washington State and the ASA should keep their damn nose out of Washington State medical issues! Patients are more than a little perturbed at your blatant grifting and deceptive practices. Find a new grift….BOTH of you! The only people you represent are yourselves and your buddies who plan on becoming “I-502 millionaires” and want patients to be forced into being their unwilling customers.

If ANYONE should be worried about Federal intervention, it should be the Liquor Control Board and their licensees. Their clear failure to do FBI background checks is bound to lead to licenses being handed out to felons and cartel members in obvious violation of the Cole memo. This is hardly the aggressive oversight that the Feds were promised by the LCB or the Governor.

With all the many rumors circulating about the LCB selling grower licenses, under the table, to felons and anyone else with $20,000 in cash, you can easily see the Feds swooping down on them, seizing their records, and doing their OWN background checks to see how many 30,000 square foot grow licenses were passed out to felons and members of organized crime.

One also has to wonder how many straw applicants have been applying for licenses. Rumors abound about some of the largest, and most unscrupulous players, have used surrogate applicants to apply for as many as 65 grower-processor and retail licenses in order corner the recreational market. If the LCB is failing to do an adequate job of background checks, can we assume they aren’t working any harder to uncover illegal straw applicants either?

If we see the Feds raiding anyone in this state, I’m betting their first stop will be at the offices of the Liquor Control Board in Olympia. This likely be followed by a trip to Ezra Eickmeyer’s house…assuming he hasn’t fled to Mexico.

Steve Sarich
Cannabis Action Coalition

Tom Terrific
on March 19, 2014 at 1:36 pm

We need to boycott the 502 stores! Why? If you already have some good buds, there’s a reason why! If you can’t afford good buds, then that’s another reason. We need to make our presence known on a daily basis. Show up at the 502 stores, with signs and hand outs. Ask the ‘customers’, if they’re signed up for medical cannabis. Ask them why they’re coming to such a place to get cannabis. If the state really wants to crush the black market in weed, then offer it at a price that takes the profit out of street sales. Let us grow want we want for our own use. I don’t see the super market suffering because we can grow our own veggies. Coors isn’t hurting because you can brew your own beer. Find out how you can help.
TOKES TO YA!
~BOYCOTT 502~ on FB.

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